Falcao joked that a bump on the head "will only help me get to the ball quicker" as the FC Porto forward looked ahead to a testing UEFA Champions League Group D encounter with Club Atlético de Madrid.

Extra targetThe 23-year-old Colombian international has scored five goals in six Portuguese Liga games since his summer arrival from CA River Plate, and though he drew a blank on his UEFA Champions League debut – a 1-0 loss at Chelsea FC on Matchday 1 – a collision with Sporting Clube de Portugal defender Tonel in Saturday's 1-0 victory may have given his team-mates a crucial extra millimetre of head to aim for.

'In good shape'"I've been training well over the last few days and am in good shape," said Falcao, who made an extraordinary start to the season by scoring in his first four league outings and then registered his fifth two minutes into the Sporting match. "The bump on my head will only help me get to the ball quicker."

Selfless streakFalcao's exploits have merited much attention in Portugal, yet he insists he could never have made such an impact without great service from those around him. "I always said the most important thing for Porto is to win matches," he said. "Yes, I have scored in quite a few matches now, but that's only been possible because the team have great players to set me up. Now the important thing is to win on Wednesday."

Atlético strengthsThat will be no easy task against an Atlético side featuring Falcao's Colombia team-mate, defender Luis Perea. "I spoke to Perea about the game when we were on international duty," he said. "Everyone knows how good Atlético are. Their attack is one of the best in the Spanish league, which is one of the best leagues in Europe. Diego Forlán is in great form and it's thanks to to him and his fellow forwards that they have a place in this competition."

'We can go far'Yet if Atlético represent intimidating opposition, Falcao has seen enough since joining Porto to know the Portuguese champions can be a match for anyone. "Porto have a great team. I used to watch them on TV last year, thinking how good they were," he went on. "Playing and training with them is easy because of the quality they have, and that makes me confident we can go far in any competition."

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